The Finnish tourism industry is set to continue growing at a breakneck rate. Tourists from practically all over the world are flocking to our country to discover its unique nature and up-and-coming urban culture.

Much of the booming interest is due to the four distinct seasons we have in Finland.

The Finnish summer is short but its days almost endless. The summer days blend into each other as the sun patrols the sky tirelessly, switching every living organism – the locals included – into overdrive. With nature at its lushest and cities abound with festivities, summer is the perfect time to visit Finland – especially if you want to work as much as possible into your itinerary.

In the autumn, as night temperatures dip closer to the freezing point, it is time to begin planning a hike in one of the many national parks in Finland – to take in the crisp air, and witness the foliage explode into a celebration of colour. If you are lucky, you can catch a glimpse of the wildlife as it prepares to be covered by a thick blanket of snow.

If you happen not to be the outdoorsy type, I encourage you to join the tens of thousands of tech-heads who attend Slush, one of the leading start-up events in the world, in Helsinki in November.

The Finnish winter has been described as a magical season. It is admittedly cold and dark, but such qualities only enhance what is the highlight for many foreign visitors: witnessing the dancing lights of the aurora.

The season also offers a variety of unique activities. Visitors can ride through the wilderness on dog-sleighs, test their car-handling skills on ice and snow tracks, and rip through powder on skis and snowboards before enjoying a hearty meal and cosying up by the fireplace.

Spring, my favourite season, is the shortest of the four seasons in Finland. It is an opportunity to witness nature come to life, with rivers breaking free from their icy shackles and buds turning into leaves of fresh green right before your eyes.

This time of the year, my family and I enjoy visiting the archipelago just outside Helsinki, for example Suomenlinna, a sea fortress that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1991. There, you can not only visit the picturesque fortress itself, but also try a bowl of excellent salmon soup and – if you are brave enough – take a dip in the Baltic Sea.

Finland’s growing popularity as a holiday destination is creating business opportunities for not only domestic but also international tourism industry operators. New expertise, service concepts and other resources are required to complement the existing ones and cater to the increasingly demanding visitors – especially big-spending millennials from relatively new source markets such as China.

I cordially invite both foreign visitors and tourism industry operators to explore what both Lonely Planet and National Geographic have recently named as one of the most attractive tourism destinations in the world. We at Invest in Finland are at your service.